2026년 10월 14일 수요 예배 박 일규 목사

Preacher: Pastor Il-kyu

Date: 2026-10-15

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Open the gates of heaven. Come down to this place. Let us be together. Come down to this place. [Clears throat] [Music] Open the gates of heaven. Focus on this place. The song towards the Lord [Song] does not cease, so open the heavens and see. Come down to this place. Come down to this place. We are waiting for You, Lord. The spirit of prayer is ascending to heaven >> Lord, come and be with us. Come here and sit with us. [Song] Accept the worship we offer in this place. The name of the Lord is only here, only the name of the Lord is here. [Song] Come here and sit with us. Accept the worship we offer in this place. The name of the Lord [Song] is only here, only the name of the Lord is here. [Song] Come here and sit with us. Accept the worship we offer in this place. The name of the Lord is only here. [Song] The hymns and lyrics [Music] often contain awkward and biblically inaccurate expressions in our hymns and lyrics [Music]. The original authors [Music] and the content they wrote differ greatly from our translations. Hymns. Why is that? Because in trying to match the meter, like 3 4 3 4 or [Music] 4 4 4, the lyrics often stray from the original author's intent [Music]. This is also true. Only the name of the Lord is here. Many people [Music] mistakenly think that the church is just a building, but that has its limitations. The name of the Lord is not in the building; it is within us, the temple, wherever we go. So what did it say? The earth is the footstool of God. It said that. Heaven is God's throne, and the earth is His [Music] footstool. There is no place where God is not. Therefore, we carry this God with us wherever we go, and we are the temple. Come here. So, it’s not just about coming to the church; it’s about where God will come down from. It’s not like there’s a hole in the sky from which He descends with wings. God is always in our hearts. We must always remember this and praise Him. [Music] The lyrics of the hymn say, "passing through the blood," but that doesn’t sit well with me. The phrase "passing through" in our language means to bypass. Right? We should understand and sing about the blood. Why do we pass through the blood? We should be going with the blood. We believe in the blood. So, there are limitations in the lyrics. There’s a point of transmission in the hymns and lyrics, and I feel that’s a bit regrettable. Let’s look together. The one who created me. [Music] >> [Music] >> The one who created me is God. The one who sent me is God. The one who sends me is also God. All that I am is by God's grace. Until my last breath, until my last breath, may I walk with Him on the cross. All that I am is by God's grace. Boundless grace, grace that cannot be repaid, surrounds my life with God's grace. Without hesitation, I step on that land [Song] held by God's grace, boundless grace, grace that cannot be repaid, surrounds my life with God's grace. Without hesitation, I step on that land [Song]. Amen. Hymn 208. Yes. My Lord's [Song] kingdom and [snort] the temple You have built and the church You have established, I always love. [Song][Music] This church of the Lord [Song][Music] is like a song, cherished like the apple of His eye. For this church [Song] I will serve with tears and prayers until I give my life. [Song][Music] I will always serve. The fellowship of the saints and [Song] the comfort of the church and the covenant made with the Lord [Song] I rejoice in always. The glory of heaven and the grace bestowed overflow eternally in Zion with truth. Amen. [Song] Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank You for the grace that has brought us together again on this Wednesday night after the Sunday service to worship before You. We have heard Your word, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened," and we have engraved that invitation from the Lord in our hearts as we live through another week. Just as wearing clothes that do not fit our bodies feels unnatural and suffocating, we have been carrying burdens that we cannot bear, trying to solve them on our own. Lord, have mercy on our unfortunate lives and help us to lay down all those burdens, placing upon us the easy and light yoke. For You have said, "I am gentle and humble in heart; take my yoke upon you and learn from me." We are weak beings with no strength, ability, or authority to resolve anything, but because You have resolved all our burdens on the cross, we thank You for leading us to live in this world today within the grace of that cross. [Music] Carrying the yoke of the cross, may we now shed all the heavy burdens You bore and become precious children who enjoy true freedom and joy in the Lord. Grant us the wisdom to calculate how much time we have left in this world so that we may live according to Your will in the time we have remaining. Heavenly Father, as we worship in the church and then return to our homes and workplaces, may You always walk with us, see us, know us, guide us, hear us, and protect us in the embrace of Your love. May we live as children who are always connected to You, living faith, and living lives worthy of the gospel. Let us not misunderstand or be misoriented in our faith, thinking that we only worship when we gather here as if this place is the church. Cleanse us of that misunderstanding and help us to be holy people of the Lord who worship God and uphold His will wherever we go, revealing God's glory on this earth. May our hearts not be shaken by visible things, but may we always be conscious of our Heavenly Father, who is invisible yet alive, sovereignly governing and guiding our lives. Can we compare the goodness of our God, who has gathered all good things in the world? Heavenly Father, may we feel and be aware of Your goodness and presence every day with the eyes of faith. May we live as living children of God, breathing together with You in all our lives, always connected to You. May our lives follow the path walked by Jesus Christ, following the way of the cross, the way of burial, the way of resurrection, and the way of ascension, so that we may be children who believe in God every day in Jesus Christ. May we always be godly people who start each day from God. May You revive our souls with the bread of life every day and lead us fully into the truth by the Holy Spirit. May all families of hope, wherever they live, whatever they do, and in whatever circumstances they find themselves, not be shaken by visible things or what they can hold with their hands, but may they be conscious of our Heavenly Father, who is invisible yet alive, who is always with us, guiding us, seeing us, and knowing our hearts. May we live as children who are conscious of You. Tonight, may Your word be engraved on our hearts, and may the truth bear fruit in our lives, revealing God's glory wherever Your church goes. Heavenly Father, remember our missionaries who have been called to preach the gospel to all nations for the sake of Your kingdom, and may they work with their eyes fixed solely on You, regardless of the circumstances in which they preach. May they be precious servants used in Your mission, holding on only to You, Heavenly Father. May they not be afraid, discouraged, frustrated, or disappointed by their circumstances, but may they be held daily in Your almighty power, becoming Your servants who preach the gospel with Your strength. May You fill them with the glory of heaven, bestow upon them the best grace, and work with them in power. Today, as we listen to Your word before You [Music], may You guide our hearts by the Holy Spirit, teaching us the truth and leading us into the truth, so that we may always live with the truth forever. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.

The word of God. 1 Timothy 3, the last part, verses 14 to 16. Let us read together. I hope to come to you quickly, but I am writing this to you so that if I delay, you may know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. Amen.

Today, Paul is writing to the pastor Timothy, expressing his desire to meet him but uncertain if they will meet again. I think they might not meet again, so he writes this letter to explain how to conduct oneself in God's church. In verse 15, he says to know how to conduct oneself in God's household, explaining what the church is and what is most important about the church. This is so important that even though it’s just three verses, I want us to reflect on it again in chapter 3. What is the church? What makes a church a church? What should my church prioritize? That’s what he is discussing. So, today, even for me as a pastor [Music], Paul is teaching this by the Spirit, and our congregation must understand this correctly. If a pastor does not teach this correctly, it doesn’t matter how long he has been in ministry or how many people he has gathered for worship or how splendid the church building is; it is of no use. God does not evaluate or reward based on those things. If the congregation does not understand what the church is, and they attend church their whole lives without knowing what it is, that is the pastor's responsibility. Why? Because the pastor is a servant of the word and prayer. I mentioned last week that the pastor is a servant, but that servant in English is called a deacon. Where does that come from? It comes from the Greek word diakonos. Diakonos means to serve. What does a pastor serve for life? By becoming a servant of God's word, being governed by God's word, and teaching God's word correctly to the congregation. If the pastor does not teach what the church is correctly, he is not fulfilling his role as an overseer. Today, people have misunderstood the church for too long, and it has been taught incorrectly, and these misconceptions are deeply ingrained in their minds. I learned this way too, and for a long time, those words have stuck in my mouth, and if I don’t consciously think and speak otherwise, mistakes come out. "Pastor, where are you going? Are you going to church?" So, we say things like this. This is incorrect. Where is the church? We say we are going to church. We have put up a sign here saying "Hope Church," so in a way, that is also wrong. It should say "Hope Church Building." In the past, our senior pastors always wrote "church" behind the name. After building the church, when naming it, they would say "such-and-such church." That was correct. The phrase "going to church" is hard to change, right? "Elder, where are you going? To church." This doesn’t change. It’s quite frightening. We need to consciously correct this. We should say, "I am going to the church building." Saying "I am going to church" comes out without hesitation, and these little things may seem insignificant, but they are not. That is not the case. Because of this ingrained notion, when we worship in this building, we think we are in church, and when we leave, we feel like we are outside the church. If we misunderstand what the church is, it is a misorientation; it has been taught incorrectly. The word "church" itself means "called out ones." It refers to people who have been called out. Therefore, the building does not correspond to that meaning. It refers to people. Each person is someone who has been called out from the world. They were born into the world and belong to the world, but now they are no longer part of the world; they belong to Jesus and are called out as God's people. The gathering of these people is called the church. When two or three people gather, where are they? They are gathered in the name of Jesus. In the biblical times, during the time of the Apostle Paul, there were no church buildings. They came together in homes, and it was only around 400 or 500 years later that church buildings began to be constructed. Why? Because Christianity was no longer persecuted, and Rome established it as the state religion, so they began to build churches. They called them cathedrals. The place where two or three people gather is the church. Whether gathered in a home, workplace, or field, wherever they gather, that is the church. There must be characteristics that define the church. Just because people gather does not mean it is a church. The characteristics that distinguish a church are what Paul explains in today’s text. The first thing we need to correct is the misconception of viewing the church as an organization. So, if you have a triangle, at the top is the senior pastor, below that are the elders, then the deacons, and then the men's and women's ministries, districts, Sunday schools, youth groups, and departments. The church is organized like this. Therefore, that diagram itself is incorrect. The church described in the Bible is not like that. People think of the pastor as always being spiritual. Because they see the pastor as spiritual, they think that if the pastor prays, God listens better, and if a deacon prays, God listens less. We have that concept ingrained in our minds. So, what have they made the pastor into? A mediator. But the pastor should correct this, yet they do not. Why? Because it is convenient. It is convenient for the congregation to see the pastor as a special person, as someone with spiritual authority. There is nothing wrong with that. The congregation sees their pastor as spiritual, so it is not unpleasant for them, so they leave it as it is. This needs to be corrected. Today, the church has become absolutely different from the biblical image of the church. The mediator between God and me, and between the church and God, is not the pastor, the elder, or anyone else; the only mediator is our High Priest, Jesus Christ. And the person who has become part of the church can boldly approach God in the name of Jesus. The pastor is the church, the elder is the church, the deacon is the church, and even a new believer who has just been baptized is also the church. If we consider status within the church, that person has a status far removed from the Bible. What is status? It is the status of being a child of God. Another status is being God's people, holy saints, and a holy assembly. There are many expressions for this. All these statuses are the same; there is no difference. There is no difference in status. The only difference is in the roles. The roles are different. God’s people, the church, are all the same. The saints are all called saints. The pastor is a saint. The elder is a saint. Everyone is a saint. This is status. This is status. But what about roles? Roles are that of a servant. So, Paul always introduces himself in his letters as "doulos" (servant) of Jesus Christ, "apostolos" (apostle). He never leaves that out. He writes, "I, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle." This always expresses his status and role. I am always a child of God, called to be an apostle, a servant of Christ. The church is not structured like a pyramid. The church should be accurately represented as an umbrella. Think of an umbrella. When you open it, the ribs spread out, and the fabric becomes wide and round. If you turn the umbrella upside down, with the handle pointing up and the top on the ground, this is the image of the church. This pyramid shape is not the church. What is the umbrella handle? It is Jesus Christ. And the ribs are all the people of God. Whether there are ten ribs or ten thousand ribs or a hundred thousand ribs, they all must be connected to the handle. This is the true image of the church. So, being connected to Jesus Christ and giving our hearts to Him is faith. As long as we keep giving our hearts to Jesus Christ, He takes that heart and where does He go? He goes to God. He receives the heart of the church and brings it to God. If we do not give our hearts to Jesus, that is not faith. This is the original picture of the church. Therefore, the overseer is not above anyone. The overseer is one of the ribs. If I am not connected to Jesus, I am like a branch that is not connected to the vine. It ends there. Evangelism is connected. But among those, the ones who have the qualifications of overseers are those who encourage, pray for, teach, and guide all the saints to be connected to Christ. That is the work they must serve. It is to ensure that no one falls away from Christ. Even if they gather a hundred people, what good is it if they are not connected to Christ? They must be taught daily that they must not fall away from Christ and that they must live a life united with Christ. This is the true image of the church. So, what does the Bible say? It says to strive to gather. There is not a single word in the Bible that says to go to church. It says to strive to gather. Do not give up the habit of gathering together, especially as you see the day approaching. As the day of Jesus’ return draws near, it encourages us to gather diligently. It is important to gather. The church should not be a place we go to; rather, we should live as the church wherever we are. This consciousness must always be alive in us. Where is Hope Church? Hope Church is the people scattered in each home, becoming the church and establishing the pillar and foundation of truth, and then they gather somewhere diligently. When they gather visibly, it may be in a church building, a workplace, a home, or even a café; wherever they gather, that becomes the church, the pillar and foundation of truth. We must remember that we are living as the church, not just going to church. And now, what is the characteristic of this church? Paul mentions it in verse 16. He uses an exclamation. Great is the mystery of godliness. It is an exclamatory sentence. It is so great. The word "great" means it is so wonderful. He uses an exclamation. What is the mystery of godliness? And then what does he say next? There is no one who can deny this. This means there is no room for debate. The most beautiful and great thing about God's church is the mystery of godliness. Godliness. This has been misunderstood a lot. What does it mean to be godly? I often imitate this. Holding the Bible like this, with it pressed against my chest, saying, "Yes, yes," does not make one godly. Being godly is not about outward appearances. God is invisible. He cannot be seen with our physical eyes. Therefore, the living God is clearly mentioned here in verse 15. The living God is the God who is present. He is the God who sees us, hears us, and knows us. God knows all our actions and thoughts. Even from afar, He knows what we are thinking. As it says in Psalm 139, even if I rise on the wings of the dawn and settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me. If I rise on the wings of the dawn and fly high in the sky, You are there. Even if I dig down to the depths of the earth, You are there. God knows all my thoughts. He knew me before I was formed in the womb. He knew me before my organs were formed. The God who knows me is watching over me, hearing me, and knowing me. Living in awareness of this every day, speaking and acting accordingly is called godliness. Godliness is about revering God. There was a man named Cornelius mentioned in Acts. Cornelius was a Gentile, but he was devout and feared God, striving to help many people. He sent for Peter to come to his house, and through Peter, his entire household was saved. The Bible records that he was devout. Even though he was a Gentile, he came to know the God that the Jews served. He began to revere that God. He lived with the awareness that the invisible God was always watching him. So, God sent Peter to save his household. Where does godliness come from? Now, verse 16 shows us. Let’s read together. He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. This is similar to what we find in the Apostles' Creed. It is an introduction to Jesus Christ. Originally, He was God, but He came in the flesh, taking on a human body. He was without sin, yet He had the same heart and spirit as us. He came in the flesh, but He was without sin. The next part says He was vindicated by the Spirit. What does it mean to be vindicated? It means that God declared Him righteous. How do we become righteous before God? By believing in Jesus, our sins are forgiven by the grace of the cross, and we are declared righteous. This is the path to approach God. Without being cleansed of sin, we cannot approach God. He makes us holy and righteous. This is through the blood of Jesus. But Jesus, being without sin, came into this world in the flesh, always filled with the Spirit, united with God. Jesus is always one with the Father, never divided or separated. This is what it means to be justified. God says, "You are pleasing to me. You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." He received this justification on earth. He is always righteous, without sin, and always united with God. This is what it means. Then it says He was seen by angels. What does that mean? When Jesus was baptized and came up from the water, the heavens opened, and the Spirit descended like a dove, and a voice came from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son." He was seen by angels. This means that angels were always present with Jesus. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, after He overcame the three temptations, the angels came and ministered to Him. Even when they came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of the servant, but Jesus said, "Put your sword back in its place. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" He could summon the angels at any time. Jesus was always surrounded by angels. The next part says He was preached among the nations. The gospel of Jesus was proclaimed among the nations. Then it says He was believed on in the world. Believing means giving our hearts to Jesus. It means not giving our hearts to anything in this world. It means I will not be swayed by anything. I give my heart only to Jesus. This is faith. Those who believe in Jesus are taken up in glory. What does it say? He was taken up in glory. He ascended to the right hand of God. And what does it say about us? In Ephesians 2:6, it says that He raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms. This is an incredible statement, everyone. We are seated in the heavenly realms. All religions in the world are about reaching out to God. How do all religions reach out? Through their own efforts, self-cultivation, and various religious rituals, they try to meet God. They pray and offer sacrifices to meet God. This is the goal of all religions. But the Christian gospel is not about meeting God; it starts from meeting God. Our starting point is meeting God. The Christian gospel begins with meeting God every day. While all other religions strive to meet God until the day they die, we start from heaven. Because of Jesus Christ, by the grace of the cross, we are seated at the right hand of God. God sees us today as we worship. We are always starting from God. We are sent from God to our homes, schools, workplaces, and wherever we go. We are people who go because God sends us. We do not have to strive to meet God. If we just give our hearts to Jesus, He takes our hearts and brings them to God. If you have doubts about whether you will be saved or not, you can see if you have the mystery of godliness. What is the mystery of godliness? It is that we have died with Christ on the cross and are giving our hearts to God. If we are living a life of the cross, we are connected to God every day. God is always pleased with that person, watching over them, and saying, "You are pleasing to me." If you think, "Does God really take pleasure in someone like me?" that is doubt. That is not believing God's word. "Oh, God only takes pleasure in pastors or elders; how could He listen to my prayers?" If you think that way, you are not believing in Jesus as your mediator. You and I all have the same status. Therefore, it is determined by who gives their heart. Even if you are a pastor, if you do not give your heart to God, what is the pastor's godliness? It has the appearance of godliness but lacks its power. That is what Paul tells Timothy. There is only the appearance of godliness. It looks godly, but the heart is still in the world, loving the world, and completely sold out to the world. They pray to God to look good before Him so that the things of the world may go well. This is all just the appearance of godliness. But anyone who believes in Jesus and gives their heart to God has the mystery of godliness. That person is seen by God every day. God declares them righteous every day and protects and guides them. Where you place your heart determines whether you have the mystery of godliness. Whether you are the church or not is not determined by whether you went to the church building on Sunday. It is determined by whether you are aware of God's presence first and foremost, whether you are conscious of His existence. Even in extreme situations, like when Daniel was threatened with death in the lion's den, or when the three friends were thrown into the fiery furnace, they were aware of God's presence first. "O king, we will not bow down. Even if we die, we will not bow down." In their hearts, God's presence was paramount. That is godliness. Jesus, too, when He was brought before Pilate, said, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above." He was aware of God’s presence. Peter, who denied Jesus, was also aware of God's presence when he was arrested. He said, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God." He was aware of God. This is godliness. Even in sickness, we must be aware of God until the moment we die. "Lord, I am coming to You now. Thank You for allowing me to leave this world." That is awareness of God. This is what godliness is. If we do not give our hearts to God every day, that is not godliness. We must confirm this in our hearts every day. Therefore, in this difficult world, we see overseers and deacons emerging. The list of qualifications for overseers and deacons is given, showing how people change. We, who were born as sinners, meditate on Jesus Christ every day, give our hearts to Him, and one day overseers and deacons emerge. How amazing is that? Where does this power of godliness come from? It comes from giving our hearts to God every day. We should not just go to church; we should live as the church. When we live as the church, that becomes the pillar of truth, and the foundation of truth is established through us. And those who always give their hearts to God, He takes those hearts and brings them to God, and we live every day with the mystery of godliness. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we are Your house, the church of the living God. When we live as the church wherever we go, that place becomes the pillar of truth and the foundation of truth, as You have said. Today, as those belonging to this church, may we always feel Your presence first, seek Your goodness first, and acknowledge Your sovereignty over all things. May our godliness be evident in our thoughts, words, and actions. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Amen. Hymn 438. [Music] Hymn 438. My soul has been redeemed by grace, and I have shed my heavy burdens. In this world of sorrow [Music][Song] I have found heaven. Hallelujah. Praise Him. I have received forgiveness for all my sins, and I walk with Jesus. Wherever I go, it is heaven until I see Your face. Far away in heaven, it is realized in my heart, day by day it draws near. Hallelujah. Praise Him. I have received forgiveness for all my sins [Song] and walk with Jesus. Wherever I go, it is heaven. Whether on high mountains or rough fields, whether in a hut or a palace, wherever my Lord Jesus is, it is heaven. Hallelujah. Praise Him. I have received forgiveness for all my sins [Song] and walk with Jesus. Wherever I go, it is heaven. Amen. Next week, there will be a meeting. Our Elder Hello, please lead us in prayer. I felt a bit cloudy about the thought of dying suddenly, and the devil does not want that. As I became aware that death is approaching, I shared that feeling last week. Then I wrote a prayer and sent it to you. So, I suddenly repented before God. I prayed about the issue of death, repented, and all the worries, concerns, and anxieties vanished, and peace filled my heart. So, while praying to God, I repented a lot. Death is in God's hands. If God does not call me, who knows, I might live for another ten years? If God wants to call me, He could do so within three months. God’s calling is within His sovereignty. Therefore, we must prepare well for the journey ahead. If someone is going on a trip to Europe for ten days, they prepare a lot. I have already started preparing a month in advance, doing everything I need to do ahead of time, and asking others to help with what I cannot do. But those who are going on the eternal journey that they will not return from must prepare even better. When the day comes for that journey, everyone envies those who are going on trips. "Oh, someone is going on a cruise, someone is going to Europe, someone is going on a trip." Everyone thinks, "I wish I could go too." But why do we not want to go on the journey of death? It is because we are not prepared. We must prepare well to meet the Lord. Death is in the Lord's hands. We are already dead in Christ. I hope you will prepare well to meet the Lord. I will pray for our Elder Hello, that if God calls him, He will fill him with joy and allow him to look forward to the glory of heaven as he goes before the Lord. If God has more work for him to do, may he be established in faith in this world. Through Jesus Christ, who has overcome death, may we live boldly, asking God to help us live well. Let us remember that wherever we are, it is heaven. I will now give the benediction. Now, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the boundless love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, who has come among us, made us His temple, established us as His church, and allowed us to live as the church, be with all of us, His people, forever. Amen. >> [Music]